Philosophy In Les Miserables

Dela Cueva, Anthony A. HUM103

MET-2101 Oct. 18, 2016

Philosophy Paper (Film showing of “Les Miserables”)

A. Introduction – The movie production of musicals often have numerous opportunities to go wrong and risk losing the emotional a stage performance bring. Les miserables is not the one of those movie. Stage musical are more than just a showcase of talented singers/actors. A musical is an intense emotional journey that is strengthened by the addition of music. A character only sings when the emotions become too intense for words to explain. This is the center of les miserables and what the movie adaption of this musical excels.

B. Objective – discuss and analyze the philosophy of the main characters

Anne hathaway’s portrayal of the broken and degraded fantine is nothing short of tear jerking. Director tom hooper’s risky decision to let the actors sing live rather than pre-recording a soundtrack pays off in Hathaway’s rendition of dreamed a dream. In fantine moment of complete despair, having been forced to sell her teeth, body, and hair to pay for her child’s care, Hathaway chooses not to belt and impress the audience with her vocal. Instead she pulls them in with her tearful and crushing solo, showcasing the pain and desperation Fantine feels rather than Hathaway’s own voice.

But Hathaway doesn’t have all of the emotion-filled moments. Samantha Bark’s (Eponine) song of longing and pining, On My Own, resonates almost as strongly as Hathaway’s performance. Eddie Redmayne’s (Marius) Empty Chairs at Empty Tables allows the audience share his pain as each of his tendons strain with grief and his chin quivers with despair.

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Even with these emotionally jarring moments, not every actor rose to the bar set by their cast mates. Hugh Jackman is an earnest and believable Jean Valjean, but he doesn’t quite encompass the raw and tragic emotion that even young Daniel Huttlestone (Gavroche) brings to the film. Russell Crowe, while an excellent actor in his own right, is not quite suited for the role of Inspector

Thernardier orders cosette to go to the forest to fetch a bucket of water. Cosette is terrified of going into the forest at night and tries to delay, but mme. Thernardier screams at her to hurry. The forest is dark, cold, and terrifying, and when cosette fills the bucket, she can barely carry it. She cries out to god. Out of nowhere, a large hand reaches down and lifts the bucket from her shoulders. Though cosette does not know her rescuer, she is remarkable not afraid of the large man holding the bucket.

The man, who is valjean is surprised to learn that this girl is cosette. He follows her back to the thernardiers inn where he intends to spend the night. Valjean, is shocked to see how cosette is treated at the inn, and he throws money around to persuade the thernardiers to let her enjoy Christmas eve. The thernardiers realize that their guest is weaththy and begin to treat him better. They are particularly astonished when he steps out into the street and returns with an expensive doll as gift for